10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through The Week: Blu DeTiger & Mallrat, Lauren Mayberry, Mckenna Grace & More
Written by djfrosty on October 16, 2023
Looking for some motivation to help power you through the start of another work week? We feel you, and with some stellar new pop tunes, we’ve got you covered.
These 10 tracks from artists including Blu DeTiger with Mallrat, Lauren Mayberry, Mckenna Grace and more will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists — or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist of all 10.
Blu DeTiger featuring Mallrat, “Cut Me Down”
Both Blu DeTiger and Mallrat have an abundance of self-assuredness — and when they join forces, it becomes impossible for anyone listening not to catch their confidence. On “Cut Me Down,” a dizzying pop song built around a groovy and defining bass riff, the two trade verses about no one being able to bring them down. Who would dare try? – Lyndsey Havens
Desire Marea, “The Only Way“
South African artist Desire Marea was formally trained as a traditional Nguni spiritual healer — and his music is proof enough, with his soulful, feel-good approach. “The Only Way” previews an upcoming EP, The Baddies of isandlwana, out Nov. 9, and makes clear that for Marea, “the only way” he knows how to create is with a larger mission in mind. – L.H.
Allie X, “Black Eye”
Creating a haunting pop song is light work for Allie X, but the Canadian auteur employs larger-than-life synthesizers — somewhere between the opening thumps of New Order’s “Blue Monday” and the hybrid of eastern European post punk/new wave — to create an ’80s-inspired gothic adventure on “Black Eye.” A solid addition to any Halloween playlist, this track sees the singer boldly embracing her pain and daring the listener to flinch at her lack of response. – Starr Bowenbank
Chelsea Cutler, “Loved By You”
On a song that reflects on personal growth and identity within the context of a world-stopping global pandemic, Chelsea Cutler demonstrates the evolution that she’s experienced as a vocalist and songwriter. “Loved By You,” a highlight of new album Stellaria, finds Cutler sinking comfortably into each new thought and attacking the chorus with a persuasiveness that matches the track’s booming drums. – Jason Lipshutz
Lauren Mayberry, “Shame”
“Shame” may be Chvrches star Lauren Mayberry’s second solo single following last month’s ballad “Are You Awake?,” but the new track feels like the start of a fresh, compelling stance: as she sings about internalized shame during different phases of her life, Mayberry navigates a shape-shifting soundscape, electronic zaps and fire-off vocal jabs buckling into stripped-down harmonies. The song is designed to shake Mayberry’s listener awake, and as both a standalone track and representation of her solo prospects, “Shame” succeeds. – J.L.
Wild Arrows, “Got to Know”
New York singer-songwriter Mike Law is best known for his work with EULCID and New Idea Society, and created Wild Arrows as a means of releasing solo work quickly and efficiently. With that in mind, new single “Got to Know” possesses an effortless snappiness that sounds dreamed up in a matter of minutes — but listen closely, sniff out the string plucks and stray riffs, and you’ll realize how much work went into making a song this immediate. – J.L.
Madi Diaz, “Same Risk”
Although Madi Diaz has opened for Harry Styles’ arena shows and is spending this month playing to large crowds in support of My Morning Jacket, “Same Risk,” which precedes her 2024 album Weird Faith, proves that she hasn’t lost an ounce of the intimacy at the center of her 2021 full-length History of a Feeling. “Same Risk” confronts relationship messiness with blunt emotion and musical vulnerability — a few sounds creep into view to join Diaz’s honest vocals and guitar strums, but never enough to overwhelm her words. – J.L.
Mckenna Grace, “Catch Me”
“Why’d you make me fall if you weren’t gonna catch me?” McKenna Grace demands on the resplendent new single “Catch Me,” after the 17-year-old singer-songwriter has listed off the sparks of romance that went unrequited and dreams of a future that will never be fulfilled. Grace’s new EP, Autumn Leaves, ruminates on young heartbreak, and “Catch Me” best distills her talents as a storyteller and creator of woozy, richly textured pop. – J.L.
Cafuné, “Shadowboxing”
Cafuné’s new EP, Love Songs for the End, may have been intended to soundtrack the finales of various life journeys, but Sedona Schat and Noah Yoo sound like their blissful mix of alt-rock and bedroom pop is just getting off the ground and morphing into something truly meaningful. “Shadowboxing” continues their upward trajectory, all sun-kissed harmonies and the type of elongated syllables that will work well in summer festival crowds. – J.L.
Yumi Zouma, “Be Okay”
The moment that “Be Okay,” the latest single from New Zealand indie-pop mainstays Yumi Zouma, flares up musically is the same moment that the bitterness at the heart of the lyrics boils over into anger: “You crush me,” Christie Simpson wails, as the guitars bubbling beneath her voice rise up into a tidal wave. Yumi Zouma have traded in dreaminess for years, but “Be Okay” is a nice reminder that the quartet can handle fury, too. – J.L.